by The promise of Matter, a future where smart home devices can be easily placed in your home, regardless of the other device or speakers you use, has come a little closer today. Google has announced that Nest and Android devices are Matter-enabled, allowing them to set up and control other Matter devices, often not yet available.
If your Android device is running 8.1 or later and has Google Play Service version 22.48.14 or later, you can use it to pair a Matter compatible device with other Matter products and controllers. In these early days post-launch, that means you can pair several Eve devices that received the Matter firmware update three days ago. Or you can wait for a few Nanoleaf bulbs, some Level smart locks or whatever else comes up. Nest devices that have quietly received the latest firmware updates can now be used to control the same (rather limited) set of devices.
The appeal of the moment is that you can technically use an Android phone, then an iOS Home app, Samsung SmartThings, or an Alexa speaker (when these are updated in early 2023) to put an Eve device on your Matter network. actually check that device. Alternatively, devices you bring to the network with an iOS device can be controlled from a Google Nest Hub or speaker, or from another Nest device.
Google also announced that it has added “Matter support for Fast Pair on Android.” As far as we can tell, this means that whenever there is a Matter device nearby (it’s advertising itself over Bluetooth), a pop-up prompt and network add flow will prompt you, similar to what Google uses for Pixel Buds and other friendly devices. by getting your device on your network, with the urge to use Google Home to control it. As Google states in its blog post, you should look for devices with the Matter badge to ensure compatibility, but you should also look for the “Works with Google Home badge” to make sure they “work well with Google devices”.
More useful for any future Matter home, the Nest Wifi Pro, Nest Hub Max, and second-generation Nest Hub should now be working as Thread boundary routers, extending Thread coverage in your home even if you don’t use Google Home for control. IT.
Nest Mini gets Matter controller support first, along with Audio, first and second generation Hubs, Max and Wifi Pro, Google Home and Google Home Mini. Nest Wifi, Hub Max, and Learning Thermostat are scheduled to be updated in 2023.
